Welcome back to 4th & Blog’s “Fantasy Island”, a tropical paradise of questionable fantasy football advice.

I hope week 7 of the NFL fantasy season was good to you all. If you are lucky enough to be a RG3 owner, we should form a club and hang out.

Last weeks pickups ended up performing well (thank you “Team Josh”, Josh Gordon & Josh Freeman) so I should have a tiny spec of credibility as I march toward Guru status. Let’s just ignore all the times in the future where I’m way off, deal?

As always, a huge part of fantasy football success comes from your ability to wheel and deal AFTER the draft. One way to do that is with trades (although some leagues are not very trade friendly), another is to work the waiver wire. In addition to my usual “Fantasy Island: Start ‘em / Sit ‘em” posts I do here every Friday, Tuesday will be used to spotlight those highly sought after free agents that could be the final piece your team needs to get on the winning track.

Or stay there.

These are the hottest waiver wire targets heading into week 7 (for the record, I want you to do well… unless you are playing me):

Upside: Maurice Jones-Drew is hurt, and hurt bad. Jennings has shown flashed of brilliance in the past but has never really gotten the chance this year to step up and show what he can do. Now that he is no longer stuck behind MJD on the depth chart, I expect him to excel on a Jaguars team that desperately needs something to spark them on offence. Add to this the fact that QB Blaine Gabbert is also injured and you’ve got a team that is almost guaranteed to focus on the running game .

Downside: Why did I say “almost”? Because the Jaguars are a terrible football team and will be trailing in many games to come this season. Every fantasy owner knows that means passing, passing and more passing. In the extremely unlikely situation the Jaguars take a lead and need to grind out the clock, Jennings will shine. Another potential downside is that although MJD is in a walking boot and on crutches, he will probably be back this year, so Jennings will one day be RB2 once again. It’s looking like that day is pretty far off, so run out and grab him from the waiver wire.

2. Santana Moss – Washington WR

Week 7 statline: 67 yards receiving, 2 TD. Points – 16.70

Upside: As an RG3 owner, I immediately think anyone within a 50 ft. radius of the guy is a viable fantasy option. Just look at RB Alfred Morris. The guy has escaped from one of the least favourable situations in fantasy football (running back in a Mike Shanahan backfield) and has turned into a solid flex option week to week. With news that WR1 Pierre Garcon will miss time with an injury, you should go out and snag Moss immediately. He posted strong numbers in his increased role on Sunday, and RG3 will keep the ‘Skins in every game.

Downside: Washington has a very tough matchup in week 8 against a Pittsburgh Steelers defence that has allowed the third fewest fantasy points per game to opposing WRs and QBs. Really the only downside I can see in Moss if you are looking for immediate payoff. Aside from that, he’s a solid option moving forward.

Upside: When Beanie Wells and Ryan Williams went down with injuries in Arizona, it was basically a toss-up for who would grab the brass ring and be the most viable fantasy option in the Cardinals backfield. While I still remain cautiously optimistic about William Powell, “The Wolfman” posted a superior statline last week and for a Cards team that desperately needs to get back on track, I believe they will stick with the hot hand and give Stephens-Howling an increased workload.

Downside: Well… how do I put this? The Cardinals are playing a 49ers defence that has allowed the least fantasy points to opposing RBs in the NFL, so I suggest “The Wolfman” purely as a long-term depth option. He’ll have more favourable matchups in the future, but this week is definitely risky to play him. If you need help immediately, let someone else snag him and find another option at RB (such as Jamie Harper in Tennessee). Bonus waiver add, right there.

4. Jeremy Kerley – New York Jets WR

Week 7 statline: 120 yards receiving, 0 TDs Points – 12.20

Upside: By default, Kerley has been thrust into the WR1 role on a New York Jets offence that has been… questionable so far this season. He’s embraced it though, turning in a string of solid performances over the last few weeks. Some waiver wire adds are “bye week fill-ins” and some are “long-term” investments. Kerley absolutely falls into the second category. Consistency is the name of the game in fantasy football, and over the last few weeks he has shown just that.

Downside: I don’t see a lot of downside with Kerley to be honest. Aside from the fact that he has Mark Sanchez throwing him the ball, I think Kerley is an incredibly safe depth add in any league. Sanchez seems to like targeting his TEs in the red zone though, so that should be a pretty major concern if you like counting by sixes.

5. Dustin Keller – New York Jets TE

Week 7 statline: 93 yards receiving, 1 TD. Points – 15.30

Upside: The injury riddled Jets are currently looking for whatever they can get in terms of scoring touchdowns, so with his week 7 performance expect to see QB Mark Sanchez look towards Keller a lot more moving forward. A lot of the same points I made for adding Jeremy Kerley apply here, so rather than repeat them I will just take this moment to wish Darrelle Revis a speedy recovery.

Downside: The reason Keller has been quiet in 2012 is that he has been suffering from a groin injury. Any fantasy owner worth his salt knows that those things are pesky buggers and it’s hard to predict how someone will play while suffering from one. While he had a solid outing in week 7, he still has Mark Sanchez throwing him the ball so that is a concern no matter who you are. In all fairness, Sanchez has looked sharper, but at this stage we know what kind of QB he is, so those mistakes will come back.

Upside: Cobb is a versatile player who can get owners points in numerous ways, and he plays on a Green Bay offence that is seemingly over their slow start and has once again turned into a “points factory”.

Downside: After having the biggest statline of all my week 8 waiver wire pickups, why isn’t Cobb No.1? It’s simple: consistency. I’ve been high on Cobb since week 1, but due to the uneven play of the early Packers and the overwhelming amount of options QB Aaron Rodgers has, it’s tough to recommend Cobb as a waiver add unless you are in a deep league. With Jordy Nelson having a great season and James Jones ripping it up in Greg Jennings’ absence (who will return sooner rather than later), adding a WR4 just doesn’t seem like that great an idea, no matter how good his week was.

Upside: Every week Frank Gore finishes a game, you can colour me surprised (I’m assuming it’s a type of magenta). I’ve been high on Kendall Hunter since the 2011 preseason, and if given the opportunity I think he can post big fantasy numbers. This is by far the riskiest move in the history of 4th & Blog’s fantasy island, but if you’ve got the space on your bench I think he’s a great depth add. Gore has injury troubles and isn’t the same back he used to be, so if SF is serious about a deep postseason run, they’ll limit his workload whenever they can and give more carries to Hunter.

Downside:Even though Gore is listed as “questionable” for SF’s week 8 matchup against the Cardinals, you should remember that Arizona is one of the better run defences in the league in regards to allowing fantasy points to RBs. Not only that, but Hunter is (and will be until Gore retires) RB2 on a team that’s foundation is defense.

That’s all for the week 8 waiver wire targets. See you all back here on 4th & Blog: Fantasy Island for Friday’s “Start ‘em / Sit ‘em”

You can follow j.Bow on twitter (@jBowmancouver). His #1 waiver wire target James Jones had a huge week. Bow is fast approaching Guru status. Book it!

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